Trying to guess the price of care at Strong West ED

A new restaurant opens and people want to know the menu and the prices.

A new health care site opens and people want to know the menu -- so to speak -- and the prices.

In this case, the new site is Strong West Emergency Department. The menu will be what you'd expect from an emergency department – with an exception. This is a free-standing emergency department, meaning there aren't any hospital rooms on the premises. Unlike the ED at Strong, Highland, Unity or RGH, this one will provide the emergency care, if you need immediate followup and more intense care, you'll be transferred to an inpatient bed at a hospital.

Which brings us to the price.

What will it cost to take care of, say, a broken arm, a really bad cut, a wicked fever? Considering there are no inpatient hospital services, how will that affect what you pay for care at Strong West as opposed to another UR Medicine property, such as Strong, Highland or F.F. Thompson?

Good question.

With an increasing number of people having high deductible health insurance plans, price matters.

Granted, in a real emergency, you don't have the time to shop around for the best price to reattach a digit.

But a lesser crisis, when you have the luxury of a few minutes to decide urgent care vs. emergency department, or if you need to steel yourself for a bill?

"I believe, wrote Excellus BlueCross BlueShield spokesman Jim Redmond, "the talks between the plan and the hospital system are still underway."

Mind you, Excellus is just one insurer doing business with UR Medicine. The price for each insurer, what with different negotiated rates, could get confusing. Still, it'd be neat if UR Medicine posted its list of charges -- what it is billing for the service -- at the door with the caution that your price may differ.